The Good:
Fede Alvarez already impressed me with his work on the EVIL DEAD remake but he did some really impressive work here too. Just the tracking shot as the burglar’s enter the house and the way he doesn’t waste any of the film on false jump scares. The guy is proving to be one of the best of the new crop of horror directors. I also loved the pacing of this film. Once the 3 friends broke into The Blind Man’s house the tension level rose and never came back down. Every creaky floor board, deep breath or heavy sigh that served to reveal the kids presence to The Blind Man were done with such skill that you would find yourself tensing up in your seat hoping against hope that they wouldn’t be found out.
Speaking of The Blind Man, Stephen Lang delivered a truly scary bad guy that could stand up next to any of the big names in horror. And Jane Levy made for a Final Girl that you really wanted to root for.

The Bad:
The opening scene of the movie really struck me as unnecessary. The trailers set up the premise of the movie well enough so including a jump ahead scene like that didn’t do anything to make the film better or even establish mood. Just seemed superfluous.

The Ugly:
The Blind Man’s ultimate motivation is the skeeviest thing I have ever seen from a horror movie bad guy. I mean it is truly gross.

Final Verdict: A tense and exhilarating thrill ride that steps on the gas and never lets up as it gives the audience one shocking twist after another. With a truly scary villain and a resourceful heroine to boot, DON’T BREATHE delivers on its premise in the most satisfying way.